Kickstarter

An Exciting New Project For Young Readers

We’re working on an exciting new project (on Kickstarter–more about that in a moment)!

Shiny 2nd editions are under construction! We’re looking at all of the details to make books that are as friendly as possible for young readers and the people who love them!

Now I’m ready to collaborate with a designer and with YOU–if you’d like to join in!

What size book is exactly right?

I calculated the size of the books and made graph paper mock-ups, so we could compare them to middle grade books on my shelf.

What looks inviting to the reader?

How chunky should the spine be?

The page count determines how thick a book will be in your hand, and the bigger each page is, the more words fit comfortably per page.

But your eyes are most comfortable reading a fairly narrow column of text–you don’t lose your place as easily.

Each printer has a calculator to figure out the spine width based on the page count and the choice of paper. Fluffy newsprint-y paper called “Groundwood” makes the spine thicker.

What fun details will "draw in" readers?

Because that’s the important question, right? How can we entice kids away from screens and back into enjoying books?

I’ve written and edited and designed Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales for the last 10 years, mostly on my own. So, I’m really enjoying collaborating with a top-notch designer. The creative energy is off the charts!

Now, I’m inviting you to participate in the process, so my books can better serve your young readers!

In the list below, have I missed something you or your young readers need? Let me know on email or on my contact form.

Here’s my current list of goals for this project:

Collaborate with an artist to make the books as appealing on the outside as they are on the inside.
Appeal to the right age group. The current covers look too young for intricate, zany, and light-hearted stories inside.
Deepen the enjoyment of reading with bonus content–a map? a family tree? a glossary for the world of the Seven Kingdoms?
Encourage readers to stay in the reading zone with samples of the next books.
Local new editions of English books in Germany for craft fairs, local bookstores, and libraries . . . or castles?
Improved accessibility for ebook editions. I used images of words in the first editions, not knowing that this is a challenge for machine-readers.
Level up the books, because I grew as I wrote the books, as a writer, storyteller, and publisher.
Offer preferred book sizes and formats by country.

Why are we making excellent new editions on Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is a short-term way to test the interest for a project, before it’s created. The timeline for “backing” a project is tight, so the creators can get going with successful projects.

Kickstarter projects have a firm end date for several reasons. If the projects reach their financial goal, the funds go to the creator.

If not, supporters or “backers” are not charged anything. The project creators have to start again.

This rule is meant to protect “backers” from receiving poor quality creations and to protect creators from knocking themselves out to create something with too few resources.

The time limit isn’t hype, because it brings supporters together at one time. This means authors can order special editions of books, set up print runs to make a specialized project, or find out if readers are as excited about the book as the author is.

Some books are just too labor-intensive to be produced unless there are readers eager and waiting.

If you want to be part of the generosity and creativity of a Kickstarter project, or just see what all the fuss is about, click on the button below and get the details.